We kicked off this year with our second Spring Program & Showcase Finale Event featuring presentations by 24 teams from 5 different program sites at the Newkirk Alumni Center at UC Irvine.

With nearly 120 middle school students this year from Valadez Middle School Academy in Placentia, Walton Intermediate Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove, Irvine Intermediate Boys & Girls Club of Garden Grove, Advanced Learning Academy in Santa Ana and Rancho San Joaquin Middle School in Irvine, judges had an incredibly tough task to select 4 four winners to take the prize. In addition to the friendly judging competition, this year saw two fan favorite voting awards, Best App and Best Poster.

Hot Diablos

App Name: Shoot It Till You Lose ItMentor(s): Varsha N.Team Members: Angie P., Dennise F., Ramiro M., Alexis C.App Description: Our game teaches elementary school students math skills and uses basketball to make it fun and interactive! The game has five different levels: addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and a challenge round! Each level is harder than the last one. When the user starts the game, they have 30 seconds to solve the question at the top of the screen and drag the basketball to the matching answer. Based on if they got it right or wrong, they either advance to the next level or play the same level. We hope you have fun playing the game because we had a lot of fun building it!Technical Components Used: Databases to allow a player to choose their basketball, a clock and timer, randomizing
lists to display different questions, movable sprites, a canvas to drag the basketball to the net, global variables to store the question and answer lists, and of course, many if/then statements, logical operators, UI features and functions.Additional Comments: The team worked passionately and diligently on building the app. After going through AppJam+, the team has a true passion for computer science and wants to explore it in the future! We really hope you enjoy the app and thanks in advance for taking the time to judge us!

King Cobras

App Name: The Forbidden QuestMentor(s): Nikki G.Team Members: Dakota P., Noah L., Jose B.App Description: A quest to save the princess that had been taken away by the Boss. Defeat the creatures to get to the Boss by answering math and science questions. Then, fight the Boss to save the princess!Technical Components Used: Database, Lists, Animation, Audio, Buttons, Canvas, ImageSprite, Movement on a timer, Dynamically change label and buttons with question and answer options for multiple choice questions, Table Arrangements, Procedures, Global and local variablesAdditional Comments: If the students had more time, they would want to implement more animation and more story. They would also add attacking options to fight the creatures.

Straight Out Of Disney

App Name: Disney HideoutMentor(s): Hao Q.Team Members: Jillian S., Leilany C.App Description: Disney Hideout is an educational game in which players follow Cole and Destiny as they journey through Disneyland during the night. The game aims to teach 3rd graders about science and math through an interactive quiz.Technical Components Used: Touch input, timer

Team Coders

App Name: Math Starter PackMentor(s): Jerry G. & Matthew A.Team Members: Ariella B., Ian L.App Description: This app is a 2-in-1 game; the app houses two separate games (FNAF & Math Tiles) that supplement the math skills learned in 4th-6th grades. While Math Tiles questions aren't difficult, It encourages the player to answer them in a rapid fashion. FNAF is not as fast paced as Math Tiles, but the player will need to stay on guard to survive the night and answer the questions to achieve the highest score.Technical Components Used: FNAF implements drag methods and timers to shoot the ball at the answer. The collider then reads the answer and determines whether the answer is correct or incorrect and adjusts the game state accordingly. Math Tiles implements image sprites and touched methods to allow the player to tap the button attached to the answer. The edge reached method tells the game the player took too long to answer the question and adjusts the game state accordingly. A sound will play when the player selects either a correct or incorrect answer and there is an EDM selection playing in the background for the player's enjoyment.

The Extraordinarians

App Name: Survival in SpaceMentor(s): Zohra H.Team Members: Quan N., Ariende G., Joshua A., Juan G.App Description: In this app, students are able to review science or learn science. This is a challenging game because in order to survive, they must dodge the asteroid while being asked a few questions about the science lesson. The app is geared towards 7th grade students so that they can practice science questions.Technical Components Used: Audio, Animations

Team Saffire - 1st Place Winner!

App Name: Mickey's Space ExplorationMentor(s): Matthew R.Team Members: Tony P., Amy C., Luis H., Thy D.App Description: Mickey gets lost on an unknown strange planet and it's up to you to help him return to Earth! Help Mickey solve math problems as he collects the gems needed to fuel the rocket to get back home!Technical Components Used: We used audio and variables to keep track of everything needed to advance to the next stages of finding the gems.

Team Tsubaki

App Name: ChoiceMentor(s): John S.Team Members: Cindy P., Brenda N., Christian M., Orfael T.App Description: An anime inspired interactive story where a goddess teaches the player about an animal she changes them into.Technical Components Used: A database is used to pass information between screens. Each screen plays music, and audio effects are added for answering questions correctly and incorrectly. Player and NPC sprites move around the screen depending on question order.

The Good Children

App Name: The Goods TrainMentor(s): Vatsal R.Team Members: Lizbeth V., Jasmine C., Angel V., Chantal D.App Description: "The Goods Train" is a mathematics based arcade game. The user can use two types of trains to play this game. However, to unlock the second train the user needs to earn a certain number of coins. To earn the coins, the user needs to answer the math questions correctly.Technical Components Used: Database, Graphics, Audio, Clock-Timer, Lists, Procedures.

The Pusheen Band

App Name: Rubik’s Math GameMentor(s): Kenny N.Team Members: Daniela H., Jeremy H., Jacklyn H., Jonathan B.App Description: Middle school trends that can stand the test of time: Rubik's cubes and anything cute. Rubik's Math Game incorporates math with a very popular puzzle. By solving math equations, you also solve a Rubik's cube at the same time and all of that in space too! Rubik's Math Game is based on its creators' passions which include math, Rubik's cubes, space, and cute characters.Technical Components Used: Audio, Animations (image sprites, canvas, etc.), Lists, ButtonsAdditional Comments: This team is comprised of all 7th grade students with no prior experience in App Inventor or programming in general.

Little Einsteins - Fan Favorite (Best Poster)

App Name: Slime SlideMentor(s): Emmanuel R.Team Members: Aiden C., Trinity T., Richard F., Kailene F., Shruthi A.App Description: Slime Slide is a fun math action game where the user has to help the slime avoid raindrops and answer math questions to keep Slimey alive. Players only have three lives, but have unlimited tries to answer the math problems. The math problem will appear every ten seconds and will pause the entire game. Players will not be able to continue playing unless they answer the problem right. The longer the user plays the harder the questions become, but the difficulty of the actual game stays the same. This game is meant for K – 6th grade students to help strengthen their math skills while still having fun!Technical Components Used: Image sprites, clock, labels, buttons, audio, and a text box (user input)

Game Over

App Name: The HeistMentor(s): Nazneen P.Team Members: Chris C., Sathyush K., Manisha K., Asher M., Azul E.App Description: You play as a robber who is trying to steal from a high tech building with 4 floors. The player must answer STEM security questions to gain access to the elevator and move on to the next floor. The last floor has the safe with the money. The 3 digits required to open it are found on the first 3 floors. There is a time limit, so if you get too many questions wrong or run out of time, the cops will catch you!Technical Components Used: Canvas, image sprites, clocks, audio, labels, text boxes, random number generators, a database, procedures, and lists.Additional Comments: All images were drawn by this team using Piskel, a website for drawing pixel images.

Lizard Enterprises

App Name: Molecule Mash!Mentor(s): Bailey K.Team Members: Fatima B., Kayla C., Daniel F., Teddy H., Nolan LApp Description: “Molecule Mash!”, is an educational game that assess your knowledge of chemical compounds by having you construct molecules with given elements. For example, you could be instructed to build water, then you would select oxygen once and hydrogen twice to build the water compound.
By playing “Molecule Mash!”, you'll have a fun, engaging, and interactive experience while studying! But you shouldn’t just play “Molecule Mash!” to study because by playing our app, you are also developing general science skills that you can apply in the real world. So "Molecule Mash!" may be your gateway into a possible future profession in a STEM field!Technical Components Used: Sorting algorithm, audio, database, canvas drawing, image sprites, timers

The Dark Side

App Name: Royal Defense TowerMentor(s): Cristian G.Team Members: Isabel S. C., Kamya N., Peter S., Aws S., Raiden A.App Description: The application is a tower defense game. There are mini games that the user can play to be able to earn money to build towers in the main stages. During the main game the user has to answer questions to get more money so that they can make more towers to defend their castle. Make sure the enemies
do not touch your castle or else you lose.Technical Components Used: Clocks, canvas, pixel color analysis, sprites, buttons, labels, listsAdditional Comments: We used geometry to find the center of the pictures, list manipulation

The Revolutionists - 4th Place Winner!

App Name: The ApocalypseMentor(s): Alexi D.Team Members: Zoe S., Bryce L., Geraldine A., Yannik C., Derryn C.App Description: You are the last person on Earth after a series of horrific events that left you to fend for yourselves. In order to reach safety, you must venture through dangerous territories to reach the coveted sanctuary. Along the way you will face obstacles that you must overcome in order to save yourself. The obstacles will test your knowledge of the terrors of science in a timed setting to reach the final level.Technical Components Used: Audio, image sprites, gifs, buttons, canvas, text

Fantastic Four + Al - 3rd Place Winner!

App Name: Powering DownMentor(s): Avelino M.Team Members: Michael F., Huy N., Andy T., Isaiah S.App Description: Powering Down is a compilation of different mini-games put together to make a story. The premise is as follows: the Sun is losing energy and a brave hero (the player) needs to travel to the Sun and power it up again. For the story to progress the user is asked 5th grade - 7th grade level STEM related questions. To ensure players have a bit of understanding, each dialogue sequence before the next level hints the upcoming question's answers.Technical Components Used: The core technological components that were used are as follows: canvassing, layouts, audio, buttons, images, variables, and logic blocksAdditional Comments: Game relies heavily on intertwining logic switch statements to manipulate what is happening on the screen at all times. In dialogue sequences a variable dictate which text should be displayed using if/then cases. Each change is tracked by the app logic and forward sequences increments the variable while backward sequences decrement it. Since the game is screen heavy, clever layout design allowed our group to dictate which "screen" (truly a layout under the hood) is visible/invisible at any given time. This allowed our group to compact the mini-games into its own screen instead of multiple ones.

Team Emoji

App Name: Emoji DimensionsMentor(s): Anthony L.Team Members: Rebekah B., Angelo M., John N.App Description: The great battle between good and evil Emojis rest in the hands of the Player to solve math questions.Technical Components Used: Timers, random selection, buttons, artworkAdditional Comments: Play Emoji Dimensions! Great for kids and teaching math!

To Hardware - Fan Favorite (Best App)

App Name: BreadborneMentor(s): Minh P.Team Members: Christopher N., Timothy V., Nguyen N., Nam T.App Description: Breadborne is a interactive application that helps reinforce a students learning in math and biology. With fun animation and a sense of urgency, the user must defeat a different boss at each level with increasing difficulty by answering questions related to STEM before being defeated.Technical Components Used: Animation graphics, audio, text

We are #1

App Name: Clash of STEMMentor(s): Preston T.Team Members: Alex U., Josue R., Kaitlin H., Grecia C.App Description: "Take control of one of the mentees from our team to answer questions to defeat the various bosses of the STEM fields! Collect orbs to answer questions to damage the villains before they can catch you. Be careful because an incorrect answer will result in freezing your character, allowing you to fall in the boss's clutches. So stay on top of your feet (and fingers) to train yourself while you save the world using Science, Technology, Engineering and Math!.Technical Components Used: Sound, database, buttons, and image spritesAdditional Comments: All of the artwork was created by the team

Do the Dew

App Name: Exploring the Human BodyMentor(s): Shawn P.Team Members: Crystal M., Brandon C., Sangwon K., Nguyen C.App Description: Exploring the Human Body is a game that strives to educate kids about the anatomy of the human body as well as their major functions. The user plays as a dog that shrinks down small enough to fit inside its owner's body, where it will help save its owner by shooting white blood cells. Using the tilt of your device, avoid touching natural processes such as oxygen, but make sure to get rid of negative factors such as bacteria or viruses.Technical Components Used: Database, audio, accelerometer, canvas, image sprite, clockAdditional Comments: All art was made from scratch by the team.

Gummy Software Inventors

App Name: Math QuestMentor(s): Jorge Q.Team Members: Luis L., Isabel O., Dylan C., Valeria C., Aedan B.App Description: Math Quest is a mobile application where a traveler embarks on a journey to solve math quests. At the end of the quest, he will face a fearsome opponent, but will need to overcome some challenging math problems along the way.Technical Components Used: Audio, multiple screens, button-based movement

The Random Group

App Name: Crossing Streets RandomnessMentor(s): Dominque V.Team Members: Arturo M., Jaydon H., Alex P.App Description: Crossing Streets Randomness is inspired by the mobile app Crossy Roads. It is an interactive mobile game where the player must cross multiple streets to avoid colliding with vehicles. Simple math questions will randomly appear while the player crosses the road.
The app aims to help 5th-7th graders answer math questions quickly and without error. Crossing Streets Randomness has a unique variety of characters and backgrounds, most of which are drawn by the creators themselves. Crossing Streets Randomness is a truly simple yet challenging game anyone can enjoy.Technical Components Used:Original game audio was recorded by the creators themselves and implemented into the app. Image sprites were used for the moving components and buttons are used to move the player's sprite. Multiple screens are used to accommodate for the different levels.

Coding Wolves - 2nd Place Winner!

App Name: Save PlutoMentor(s): Samantha N.Team Members: Marco A., Julio D., Nicholas R., Dante S., Jasmine V.App Description: "It is the year 2052. As Earth's natural resources dwindle, the U.S. government turns to space: the final frontier. A team of super scientists are sent out to survey the planets of our solar system for any forms of life. They determine Pluto is the best option to save humanity. But after years in space, these scientists were driven to madness and turned against mankind. Do you have what it takes to defeat all of the evil scientists of the galaxy? Test your skills in arithmetic and astronomy in SAVE PLUTO!Technical Components Used: Random Generation, Sprite Animation, Audio, Timers, Collision Detection, Procedures

I Like Turtles

App Name: Lone SurvivorMentor(s): Julie T.Team Members: Alejandra L., Andrea D., Asael A., Mikey V., Javier C.App Description: Lone Survivor is an adventurous action game where kids can practice math. The story of the game is that an airplane crashed on an island and you are the last survivor. The island contains mutant monsters and you have to use your sword to kill the right monster to get to the other side of the island. Once you reach the end, a helicopter comes to rescue you.Technical Components Used: Swiping, audio, timers, buttons, touch screen, random number generator